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Karoshi in Japanese means death by overwork.. Karoshi is a rising social concern that has resulted from the emphasis on working hard in Japanese society, with karoshi victims averaging over 80 hours per week. Stress in Japan purportedly claims the lives of 10,000 Japanese men a year, including through fatal heart attacks and strokes attributable to overwork and suicides.
It is being addressed through increased activities to reduce stress, including English gardening, aromatherapy, reflexology, pets, and herbs in addition to the traditional activity of hot-spring bathing. However, the pressure to work long hours continues as it is seen as a virtue and an act of loyalty towards one's company.
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Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) is the field of study that seeks to understand the complex communications among the nervous system, the psyche, and the immune system, and their implications for health. The text provides several examples, including:
PNI research has shown that traumatic stress, such as the death of a loved one, can impair a person's immunity for as long as a year.
Studies of university students and staff in the United States and Spain have implicated stress and a generally negative outlook in increasing susceptibility to the common cold.
By inflicting small cuts in volunteers who then were subjected to controlled stressful situations, researchers have shown a significant delay in healing among those who are under stress.
Among medical students who received a hepatitis B vaccine, antibody and immune cell responses were diminished in subjects with more anxiety, higher stress, and less social support.
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In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the research team found that chronic stress seems to accelerate the aging process by shortening the life span of cells and opening the door to disease. The cells of people under high stress aged the equivalent of 9-17 years more than the cells of people under little stress.
The link between stress and premature aging has major implications for health. The specific cellular changes identified in this study could become a warning sign to help doctors prescribe life-extending therapies. That means that people at risk for high stress could slow cell aging through exercise, meditation, prayer, or other forms of stress reduction.
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Common effects of medium-term chronic stress include muscle tension and pain, headaches, fatigue, upset stomach, difficulty sleeping, bruxism, sore throat, and colds. The text briefly explains each of these conditions in relation to stress. For example, continued activation of the stress response can cause continued muscle contraction which leads to muscle tension and pain, headaches, and fatigue. The stress response decreases the activity of the digestive system and immune system, leading to stomach upset, sore throat, and colds. The text also provides a list of additional symptoms.
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